LeGere: Bears will be tested by ever-changing Cardinals' defense
What makes the Arizona Cardinals' defense so difficult to attack is that it's like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're going to get.
"They run a lot of man(-to-man coverage), do a lot of blitzing, and really mix up those coverages," Bears quarterback Jay Cutler said. "They keep you guessing. They throw a lot of personnel groupings at you. They'll mix up the fronts. You have to be on it as a quarterback."
Last year, the Cardinals were a not-so-impressive No. 24 in total yards allowed, but in points allowed they were No. 5 and held 13 of 16 opponents to 20 points or less, tops in the league. They're off to a similar start this year. Although they permitted the Saints 408 total yards in Week 1, they came away with a 31-19 victory.
"They're a good defense," Cutler said. "They have been for a couple of years now, and nothing is going to change this year. They did a good job against the Saints and (quarterback) Drew Brees."
Brees threw for 355 yards, but he needed 48 passes to do so, and his 83.3 passer rating was 12 points below his career average and 13.8 points lower than last year's mark.
Cutler is expected to play the role of game manager as he did in an uneven performance in Week 1. His late interception marred an otherwise decent outing, and Gase took part of the blame for the pick.
"The interception was a bad call into that defense," Gase said. "(Cutler) did what was asked of him, and Clay (Matthews) made a good play.
"The completion percentage (50.0); I felt we had more completions out there. We missed a couple throws, we dropped a couple passes. As far as line of scrimmage management, managing the game, doing a good job of getting us in and out of run checks, being right on the protection - for our first time out in our first game together, I think he did a great job."
The Bears expect to have a tougher time running the ball than they did last week when they had 189 yards on the ground against a Packers defense not known for its ability to stuff the run. The Cardinals allowed the Saints just 54 rushing yards on 20 attempts (2.7-yard average).
"They're a better rushing (defense) for sure," Bears guard Matt Slauson said of the Cardinals. "But that was probably the best I've seen the Packers play (vs. the run). They were a lot more stout than they have been in the past. That being said, Arizona's really good, they have some really good run-stoppers." The best player in the Cardinals' front seven is 6-foot-8, 300-pound Calais Campbell.
"The way he sheds blocks and the way he can bend a corner is really impressive for a guy of that size," Slauson said of the eight-year veteran who also has at least 6 sacks in six straight seasons.
"He's physical, and he always seems to be in the right place at the right time," said Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase, who saw plenty of Campbell last year as the Broncos' offensive coordinator. "I was on the unfortunate end last year.
"We ran a screen, and he picked it off. He just shows up around the ball. He's very disruptive. He's probably one of the top interior guys there are in the league. That's going to be a tough matchup for us this week."
And it's another week of on-the-job learning for right tackle Kyle Long, who was moved from his comfort zone at right guard to a position he'd never played in a game just one week before the season started.
Long struggled at times in Week 1, but not as much as he said he did.
"He did better than what he's giving himself credit for," Gase said. "He's going to be harder on himself, (but) I thought he did a great job. There's a couple things he needs to clean up, which he will in time. I feel like he's going to be a top tier guy really quick."
If Long can make that happen by Sunday, it would be a huge help against a huge opponent.
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